IDF Targets 100 Hezbollah Rocket Launchers Amid Lebanon War Concerns

On September 20, fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East intensified following reports of mass detentions linked to bombs hidden in Hezbollah’s communication devices. In response, Israel escalated its military campaign against the Iran-backed militia.

According to the Israeli Air Force and IDF, Israeli warplanes, under the command of IDF intelligence and Northern Command, launched strikes on around 100 rocket launchers and other essential Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon.

The IDF characterized these strikes as necessary to weaken Hezbollah’s operational capacities and infrastructure. They highlighted the history of Hezbollah’s tactics, emphasizing that for decades the group has utilized civilian homes for military purposes, including constructing tunnels beneath them and employing civilians as shields.

In their communications, IDF claimed that missiles launched from southern Lebanon posed an imminent threat to Israeli territory.

The airstrikes followed a coordinated assault that resulted in nearly 50 fatalities and over 5,000 injuries, attributed to Hezbollah militants utilizing pagers and walkie-talkies to trigger explosions simultaneously. The pagers detonated on Tuesday, followed by walkie-talkie explosions the next day.

Hezbollah has directed accusations at Israel for the recent attacks involving these communication devices. In a televised statement, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, asserted that Israel has breached “all the red lines,” warning of severe repercussions.

In light of the escalating violence, international entities, including the United Nations, have urged both parties to practice restraint and to take measures to avert a larger conflagration in the region.

While the Israeli government did not comment directly on the statements from Hezbollah, Israeli officials outlined a new objective of the ongoing conflict: facilitating the return of tens of thousands of Israelis to their homes in Northern Israel, located near the Lebanese border.

Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in a series of retaliatory attacks along the southern Lebanese border since the onset of Israel’s war with Hamas, another Iranian-supported organization, which began almost a year ago.

Due to ongoing military operations, approximately 60,000 Israelis have been evacuated from northern cities adjacent to the Lebanese border. Following the pager-related attacks on Tuesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office reported that the Security Cabinet revised its war objectives to include the safe return of these evacuees.

“We are entering a new phase of the war,” declared Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Minister of Defense, on Wednesday. He elaborated on the strategic shift, explaining that the government would allocate significant resources and military capabilities to northern operations.

“Our mission is clear: to ensure the residents of Israel’s northern communities can safely return to their homes. To achieve this, we must alter the current security landscape,” he added.